DANIEL RICCIARDO PRESSURE SOURCE IDENTIFIED AS RED BULL ALERTED TO DOUBLE AUDI APPROACH – REPORT
Audi’s interest in signing Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson for the F1 2025 season is behind the fresh uncertainty over Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull future, local media has claimed.
Ricciardo, 35, has largely struggled since returning to F1 with RB (then AlphaTauri) last year, scoring points on just three occasions – including a ninth-placed finish in Austria last weekend – in a grand prix.
Audi driver market ‘pressure’ leaving Daniel Ricciardo under threat?
After team-mate Tsunoda was confirmed as an RB driver for F1 2025 at last month’s Canadian Grand Prix, the fight for the second seat is likely to be between Ricciardo and Red Bull reserve driver Lawson, who impressed in a five-race stint while deputising for an injured Ricciardo in F1 2023.
Long-serving Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko revealed earlier this year that a clause in Lawson’s contract will allow the 22-year-old to walk away from Red Bull entirely if he is not promoted to a permanent seat for F1 2025.
And speaking to Austrian publication Kleine Zeitung ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, Marko revealed that RB “will have to” promote Lawson to a race seat in the near future on the command of Red Bull shareholders, who are keen to see the Faenza-based outfit return to its roots as a team to train young drivers.
Key details: F1 driver market
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Marko said: “The shareholders have made it clear that it is a junior team and we have to act accordingly.
“The goal was that [Ricciardo] would be considered for Red Bull Racing with exceptional performances. That seat now belongs to Sergio Perez [who recently signed a new two-year contract], so that plan is no longer valid.
“We will have to put a young driver in there soon. That would be Liam Lawson.”
A report by Swiss-German publication Blick has revealed that Audi’s interest in both Tsunoda and Lawson is behind the increased pressure on Ricciardo, forcing Red Bull to resist the German manufacturer’s advances for the pair.
Audi, who will take over the existing Sauber team in time for the F1 2026 rule changes, announced the signing of Nico Hulkenberg from Haas in April, with the German manufacturer’s second seat for F1 2025 currently unoccupied.
The Hinwil-based team are known to hold a long-standing interest in outgoing Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, who has also been linked with Williams and Alpine over recent weeks.
It is claimed that Red Bull team principal Christian Horner moved to activate an option to extend Tsunoda’s RB contract after learning that the Japanese driver had entered negotiations with Audi.
According to the report, ‘the same game is now being played’ with Lawson, which has increased Red Bull’s urgency to promote him to a permanent seat in Ricciardo’s place.
The option for Red Bull to promote Lawson to a permanent seat for F1 2025 is said to expire in September. With Audi’s interest in the New Zealander becoming ‘too great’, Marko reportedly ‘struck immediately despite the veto of Ricciardo’s friend Horner.’
Marko told Blick that Red Bull “would have loaned out our best Formula 2 driver, [Isack] Hadjar.” Campos driver Hadjar currently sits second in the F2 standings, having claimed two victories so far this season.
It comes after Marko claimed earlier this year that Audi were applying “pressure” during silly season, commenting that “it is a little bit strange for a newcomer to put pressure on the driver market.”
Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com in Austria, Ricciardo insisted that he has received no ultimatum from the Red Bull hierarchy and that he retains the support of Horner and Laurent Mekies, the RB team principal.
However, the Australian acknowledged that he is unlikely to be retained for next season if his performances do not improve, having taken until the recent Canadian GP to register his first points finish of F1 2024 in addition to a fourth-place finish in the Miami sprint race.
Ricciardo’s ninth place in Austria means he has finished ahead of Tsunoda in each of the last three races, but he has been outqualified by his team-mate eight times in 11 races so far this season and trails Tsunoda by eight points in the Drivers’ standings.
Asked if he has had an indication that his seat is in jeopardy, he said: “No, I haven’t heard anything.
“There hasn’t been any pressure, ultimatum, nothing like that.
“But I’ve also been in the sport a long time and I know if I’m getting my arse kicked every weekend, at some point someone will be like: ‘Hey mate, step it up otherwise…’
“I haven’t had that, but I’m aware that having a good race every so often isn’t good enough and also not where I want to be. I don’t want to have an odd high and then a bunch of lows.
“I think I’ve had good support from obviously Christian, from Laurent, from everyone.
“They’re doing what they can obviously, but then at some point I’m the one in the car and I’ve got to push that throttle a bit harder.”
Asked if he fears that a final decision from RB will be communicated too late for him to find another drive for next season, Ricciardo said: “No, no.
“I don’t want to be casual about it, because obviously I care a lot, but I don’t know.
“Maybe I’m at a point where it’s just like what will be will be. And I’m just going to put everything I can on the table from an effort and performance [perspective].
“And if that is good enough to secure me a seat, great. If not, then OK. I did everything I could, but…
“I think in terms of the musical chairs stuff, if I get focused on that then I’m [in trouble].I need to put all my attention here. Simple as that.”
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